O-eobge h



G. H LAMBERT.

MACHINE FOR WASHING GOLF BALLS AND OIHLR ARTICLES.

APPLICATION HLED DECJIG. I918.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

@HIHIIII GEORGE EIAMBERT, OF ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

MACHINE FOR WASHING GOLF-BALLS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Application filed December 18, 1918. Serial No. 266,893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. LAMBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashevil'le, in the county of Buncombe and State of North-Carolina, have invented a certain new and'useful Improvement in Machines for Washing Golf-Balls and other Articles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and practical machine for removing dirt, stains and the like from golf balls and other articles requiring more or less vig orous treatment in order to clean and freshen them; and inasmuch as the invention includes the treatment of other articles than golf balls, it is to be understood that specific reference to golf balls in the title, do.

scription, and claims is notexclusive of such other articles.

The invention consists of a container for the cleansing or refreshing liquid or other suitable agent, and means for immersing the balls in such agent and impartin both collective and individual rotation to t em while so immersed, and then lifting them out of such agent into a clear portion of such container where the collective rotation may be continued to efl'ect the drying of the balls, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine, showing the shafts and balls in elevation, and the parts in full lines for the collective and individual rotation, and also showing by dotted lines the rotating member elevated into drying position. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, on a larger scale, showing one form of swivel connection of the depressing knob and shaft. Fig. 3 is atop plan view.

The container 1 may be of any suitable material, and it has a lower conical or tapered portion 2, and an upper cylindrical portion 3, and a bottom portion 4. This container may lbe supported in any suitable way or by any suitable means, such as legs 5. The container is provided with a sleeve 6 rising centrally from its bottom, and there is a continuation 7 of the sleeve extending downwardly below the bottom, and these sleeves house a shaft or spindle which Is stepped in sleeve 7 upon an expansion spring 9, normally tending to lift said shaft and its ball carrier, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. l, for filling, drying, and emptying purposes- This shaft has a longitudinal keyway 10 to permit its longitudinal movement, and rotary motion is imparted to it by any suitable drive, such as a bevel gear 11 with a larger or other gear 12 on a countershaft 13 suitably mounted on the machine and having a hand crank 14 or other driving means. The gear wheel 11 is mounted in a bracket or other support 15 on the bottom of the container, and engages the shaft 8 by means of a screw 16 entering the keyway 10; but of course any other connection may be used that will permit the longitudinal movement of the shaft and its axial rotation. The key way and its engagement by the key serves to limit the longitudinal movement of the shaft.

On the upper end of the shaft 8 is swiveled knob 17 used to depress the shaft against the spring 9 and to hold it thus. As shown, the knob turns freely upon a screw 18 which is screwed into the end of the shaft; but any other swiveling connection may be used.

A series of arms 19,-four are shownare secured to and turn with the shaft 8. For example, these arms may be united with a centerpiece 20 and this cente iece engaged by an angular hole and pro]ection 21 with the end of the shaft. The arms flare out downwardly from the centerpiece and their bottoms have horizontally arranged terminals 22 upon which are swiveled the ball-holders 23. These arms are herein referred to also as the ball carrier, and such carrier has a rotary motion by virtue of its engagement with shaft 8, and also is capable of being raised and lowered by corresponding movements of said shaft. The ball holders have the discous bases 24 from which rise the spring or friction fin ers 25 to engage the balls 26. The swive s 27 for conneoting the holders with the carrier arms are applied to the bases 24: and terminals 22 so that the ball holders may have individual rotation while they are collectively carried around by the rotating carrier. This individual rotation may be effected in any of anumber of ways, but the simplest would appear to be to so arrange and shape them that their peripheries, beveled or otherwise, will come into frictional contact with the ad acent surface of the conical portion of the container and thereby be continuously, independently and individually rotated in one direction while being carried around collectively by the carrier rotating in the o posite direction. Depressing the shaft Wlll serve to compensate for wear upon the disks and keep them in operative contact with the container. Of course, when the shaft is lifted to its dotted line position and r0 tated, the ball holders are out of contact with the container walls and no longer revolve excepting by momentum, and their individual rotation is no longer necessary or desirable since they are out of the deans ing agent. I 1 Agitator blades 28 may be applied beneath the terminals22 in case it be desired to agitate the cleansing agent, as when itcontains 't. The operation would seem to be clear from the foregoing,but in further explanation it may be said that the balls to be washed are placed within the ball holders and held there by the pressure of the spring fingers thereon. A sultable cleansing liquid is placed in the container to a depth sufiicient to submerge the balls when the carrier and holders are depressed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. Rotary motion is then imparted to the carrier and as the carrier turns the individual ball holders come into frictional contact with the conical wall of the lower port-ion of the container and are thus rotated in a direction opposite to that in which the carrier is moving, so that a more or less violent agitation of the cleansing liquid ensues and the washing or cleansing of the balls is rapidly and thoroughly performed. While this washing operation is going on, with the balls submerged, the submergence is maintained by pressure on the knob 1?. When such pressure is released, as upon completing the washing operation, then the spring 9 1s free to act to lift the shaft and consequently the ball carrier and ballholdersuntil the ball holders clear the cleansing liquid and clear the tapered or conical wall of the lower portion of the container, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, and in this position, and upon continued rotation of the shaft if desired, the balls are I drained and dried.

adapted to turn with said shaft, and ball holders 'havin an axial connection with said carrier an moving with it and contactmg with the Wall of thetapered bottom por emmation and thereby having also independent rotation on said carrier.

2. A machine for washing golf balls and other articles comprising a container having 3. A machine for washing golf balls and other articles comprising a container hav- 7 ing a tapered lower portion, a ball carrier,

and ball holders on said carrier, combined with means to rotate the ball holders collectively, and independent means actuated by contact with the tapered lower portion of the container to rotate them individually.

l. A machine for washing golf balls and other articles, comprising a container having a ta ered lowerportion adapted to recome a c eansing liquld, a shaft arranged in said container, a spring for normally liftin saild shaft, a ball carrier secured to an adapted to turn with said shaft, and a series of ball holders swiveled upon said carrier and in frictional engagement with the tapered portion of the container and thereby given independent individual rotation as the holders are collectively carried in the opposite direction by the rotation of the carrier.

5., A machine for washing golf balls and. other articles, comprisin a container to receive the cleansing liquid, a rotary shaft mounted vertically in said container, an expansion spring on which said shaft is stepped, and a-knob swiveled to the upper end of the shaft by means of which the shaft may be moved longitudinally as desired without afiecting its rotation, combined with a ball carrier adapted to turn with said shaft and ball holders mounted upon the carrier and adapted to receive individual motion while collectively carried around by the ball carrier.

6 A machine for washing golf balls and other articles, comprising a container having a tapered lower portion to receive the cleansing liquid, a rotary shaft mounted verticall in said container, a resilient step on whici said shaft is stepped, and a knob swiveled to the upper end of the shaft by means of which the shaft may be moved longitudinally as desired without afiecting its rotation, a ball'carrier mounted upon and ada ted to turn with said shaft, and ball hol ers swiveled to the ball carrier and contacting with the wall of the tapered por tion of the container and thereby given inde endent rotation other articles; comprising a container, a ro- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set tary shaft arranged vertically therein, a.v my hand this 12th day of December, A. D. ball carrier adapted to turn wlth said shaft, 1918.v

ball holders axiall mounted upon said car- GEORGE H. LAMBERT. 5 rier and adapte tomove with it, and Witnesses: means to give independent individual rota- J. W. Gmnms,

tion to said holders. M. M. SULLIVAN. 

